NIck Sullivan

Nick as a medical student

Nick as a child

• A few basic facts about me:

  Pronouns: he/him/his

  I’m currently a medical student at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.

• What kind of identities do you inhabit?

  Outdoor Enthusiast, Long Distance Runner, LGBTQ+ Member

• The path to medicine is not easy. Can you tell us why you decided to pursue it?

  I am the first person in my family to go to medical school and become a physician.

  I was the kid with asthma that developed a love of cross country running. Running also helped me de-stress, and I would look forward to the euphoric state I would experience after a tiring long run.

  I was always curious about how a primitive, basic activity such as running could so greatly influence the mind.

  This curiosity and questioning led me to major in neuroscience in college. I looked into many careers. In the end, I chose to become a doctor because I was drawn to physicians’ unique abilities to care for people in the present yet also educate for the future.

  (Editors’ note: Many on our leadership team were neuroscience majors in college. We would also wonder about questions like “What’s behind runners’ high? What’s behind phantom limb pain? How did that man mistake his wife for a hat?”

• Can you describe a challenging moment in medicine that made you rethink your career path?

  The journey to becoming a doctor can be a confusing one. Even the process of applying to medical school is long and arduous.

  When I started medical school, it seemed many of my classmates hit the ground running and knew what they wanted to do/how to study/what research project they wanted to do. At times, it was easy to find the whole process to be very overwhelming.

  However, it's true when they say you develop your own groove with tackling tough subject material. It’s also true that the gratification of seeing patients improves over time and that the medical community can be supportive and collegial. Realizing and experiencing this helped me move past my initial hesitancy.

• How do you see a career in PM&R as advancing equity?

  Everyone has the right to affordable, quality healthcare. In addition, many people outside of medicine seem to not be too knowledgeable about PM&R. I hope to increase awareness of PM&R in the medical community and society at large. As the aging population increases, so will the demand for PM&R doctors. I'm excited to help fill that need.

  (Editors’ note: We agree. Unfortunately, many physicians are unaware of the impact a referral to PM&R can have on a patients’ life. In addition, patients do not know to ask for us. Low income and non native English speaking patients tend to be hurt the most as they are referred to our services the least out of all patients. Boosting awareness of PM&R is one of our goals too!)

• Can you tell us a little bit of your aspirations - either for your career or for the field of medicine (if you’re a medical student?)

  Some fields of PM&R I'm interested in are sports medicine and neurorehabilitation. I think it would be fun one day to be a medical director for a large race. I also hope to get into teaching. This may be a very niche goal, but I would love to teach an upper-level neurology/rehabilitation elective class at the undergraduate level.

• Where can we find you on social media?

  Twitter

Last updated 03/2022